Now What?
I have so much to be grateful in that my husband survived the virus, baruch Hashem. I have much to be saddened by, with the passing of my mother-in-law Mindel Perel bas Yisrael HaLevi and cousin Rachel bas Pinchas. Thankful arrivals and grief-stricken virtual funerals were a strange cocktail mix to start off the holiday season of Passover. As I’m writing this, T’hilim groups are having 24-hour prayer vigils for my dear friend fighting for her breath. I’ve listened to endless Torah lectures involving the purpose, message, and timing of this pandemic. While the sirens wail in the background as if it’s the soundtrack of the times, I deeply ponder what the real message is for klal Yisrael and particularly the “Orthodox” enclaves. Was it the synagogue that stayed opened past the public warning? Is it the people of a particular age group that fail to understand their role in spreading this highly contagious disease? Is it the constant judgment and blame against Jewish women wearing sheitels, shorter skirts, or lipstick? Is it gossip, hatred, ego, and/or lack of the true spiritual connection to G-d?